I've worked on dozens of commercial builds. The pattern is always the same: developer hires an architect, gets a concept they love, then watches the budget spiral during construction docs.

Here's the thing — 80% of cost overruns are design decisions made in the first two weeks.

Three things I tell every developer before we start:

1. Lock your program before you sketch.

Square footage targets, tenant mix, parking ratios — nail these down cold. Every change to the program after schematic design is a multiplier on cost.

2. Structural grid = budget grid.

A clean, repetitive structural bay saves more money than any value-engineering exercise later. We design around 30' bays for most mixed-use projects. Simple geometry, big savings.

3. Don't chase materials, chase details.

A concrete building with beautiful reveals and proportions will always beat a cheap curtain wall. Material cost matters less than how precisely it's detailed.

If you're a developer planning a commercial project and want to talk strategy before you spend a dollar on design, Archaus is open for retainer clients.